US2012028743A1PendingUtilityA1

Toy Ball Apparatus with Reduced Part Count

44
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Jul 28, 2010Filed: Jul 28, 2011Published: Feb 2, 2012
Est. expiryJul 28, 2030(~4 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Ian MuldoonDavid E. Silverglate
A63B 43/00A63B 39/00A63B 2039/003A63B 2208/12
44
PatentIndex Score
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Claims

Abstract

A toy ball apparatus is disclosed herein that includes a mesh defining an outer surface of the toy ball apparatus. The mesh includes four mesh components that are coupled together to enclose a closed volume, each mesh component including a plurality of loop structures, each loop structure having a curved inner perimeter surface formed to at least partially surround a hole communicating with the closed volume and surrounded at least partially by a polygonal outer perimeter. Each mesh component has cooperative mating surfaces formed along an outer perimeter of the mesh component, the cooperative mating surfaces being formed along at least a portion of the outer perimeter of each of a plurality of the loop structures in the mesh component. The adjacent mesh components are joined together along the cooperative mating surfaces.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A toy ball apparatus having a surface, the apparatus comprising:
 a mesh defining an outer surface of the toy ball apparatus, the mesh including four mesh components that are coupled together to enclose a closed volume, each mesh component including a plurality of loop structures, each loop structure having a curved inner perimeter surface formed to at least partially surround a hole communicating with the closed volume and surrounded at least partially by a polygonal outer perimeter, each mesh component having cooperative mating surfaces formed along an outer perimeter of the mesh component, the cooperative mating surfaces being formed along at least a portion of the outer perimeter of each of a plurality of the loop structures in the mesh component, wherein adjacent mesh components are joined together along the cooperative mating surfaces.   
     
     
         2 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each mesh component includes eight loop structures. 
     
     
         3 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each mesh component includes three smaller loop structures and five larger loop structures. 
     
     
         4 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the smaller loop structures are pentagonal and the larger loop structures are hexagonal. 
     
     
         5 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each mesh component includes an outer perimeter having 17 external edges. 
     
     
         6 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each mesh component has a maximum internal curvature of less than 90 degrees. 
     
     
         7 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each mesh component has a maximum aggregate external dihedral angle of less than 270 degrees. 
     
     
         8 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each mesh component includes 8 faces, 14 vertices, and 31 edges, of which 14 are internal edges and 17 are external edges. 
     
     
         9 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the mesh components are identical in shape and size. 
     
     
         10 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each mesh component is injection molded. 
     
     
         11 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a parting line is formed along an outer surface of the mesh where the mesh components are joined to each other. 
     
     
         12 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the mesh is plastic and resiliently deformable. 
     
     
         13 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the inner perimeter surfaces are continuously curved. 
     
     
         14 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the inner perimeter surfaces are circular. 
     
     
         15 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the mesh is formed in the shape of a truncated icosahedron. 
     
     
         16 . A toy ball apparatus having a surface, the apparatus comprising:
 a mesh including four coupled mesh components which together form a truncated icosahedron and enclose a closed volume, each mesh component including a plurality of loop structures, each loop structure having a continuously curved inner perimeter surface formed to surround a hole communicating with the closed volume and surrounded at least partially by a polygonal outer perimeter, each mesh component having cooperative mating surfaces formed along an outer perimeter of the mesh component, the cooperative mating surfaces being formed along at least a portion of the outer perimeter of each of a plurality of the loop structures in the mesh component;   wherein each mesh component has a maximum internal curvature of less than 90 degrees; and   wherein adjacent mesh components are joined together along the cooperative mating surfaces; and   wherein the mesh is made of plastic and is resiliently deformable.   
     
     
         17 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the mesh is formed in the shape of a truncated icosahedron. 
     
     
         18 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein each mesh component includes three smaller loop structures and five larger loop structures, the smaller loop structures being pentagonal and the larger loop structures being hexagonal. 
     
     
         19 . The toy ball apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the mesh components are identical in shape and size. 
     
     
         20 . A toy ball apparatus having a surface, the apparatus comprising:
 a mesh including four coupled mesh components which together enclose a closed volume, each mesh component being identical in size and shape, and including a five larger loop structures with hexagonal outer perimeters and three smaller loop structures with pentagonal outer perimeters, each loop structure having a curved inner perimeter surface formed to surround a hole communicating with the closed volume and surrounded at least partially by a polygonal outer perimeter, each mesh component having cooperative mating surfaces formed along an outer perimeter of the mesh component, the cooperative mating surfaces being formed along at least a portion of the outer perimeter of each of a plurality of the loop structures in the mesh component, wherein adjacent mesh components are joined together along the cooperative mating surfaces, wherein the mesh is made of plastic and is resiliently deformable.

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